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Steve Alexander

The Daily Dose

Dose: Prep for Week 17

Houston – James Harden played in the ASG and his ankle should be OK, so I’d play him this week, even with just three games. Jeremy Lin is dealing with a hand injury, but I expect him to play, as well. Watch for updates.

Indiana – Danny Granger is iffy for Wednesday and I’d leave him benched until you not only see him make it through a game, but also put up some decent numbers. Paul George is a must-start, but the rest of the Pacers are up to your discretion with three games. Especially David West, who missed his last game with an eye injury.

L.A. Clippers – Chris Paul was the All-Star MVP and is good to go, except that the Clippers play just two games this week. Blake Griffin is the only other Clipper I’d consider starting if games played matter in your league. Everyone is healthy, except for Lamar Odom, who has an eye injury.

Milwaukee – The Bucks have just three games but I’d still plan on rolling with Brandon Jennings (serious trade candidate), Monta Ellis and Ersan Ilyasova in most leagues. Larry Sanders says he’s 70-30 towards playing through his back injury, but Samuel Dalembert will likely continue to see solid minutes. Start Larry at your own risk, as he’s a true game-time decision for Tuesday.

Minnesota – Kevin Love is hoping to return from his hand injury in mid-March, but is still iffy to play again this season. Ricky Rubio is hot, trade candidate Luke Ridnour is playing well, and Derrick Williams a shaky start with just three games, although he blew up just before the break. Andrei Kirilenko is dealing with a quad injury and has missed five straight games, so in my mind he’s not startable in weekly leagues unless we get a positive update prior to lineup deadlines. Nikola Pekovic is a must-start player in my book.

New York – The Knicks have three games, but are preparing to go on a four-game per week sprint soon. Carmelo Anthony is a must-start player, while Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Amare Stoudemire and J.R. Smith all look like possible options this week. Melo is dealing with an arm injury, but made it through the ASG in one piece. Jason Kidd could be coming off the bench soon, and was already struggling.

Utah – The Jazz play just two games and I’m sitting Al Jefferson in weekly leagues. In fact, I don’t see anyone on this team I’d start in a weekly league. Gordon Hayward is still bothered by a shoulder injury, but is expected to play on Tuesday, although I expect him to be rusty and limited.

Washington – John Wall, Nene and Emeka Okafor are solid three-game options, while Bradley Beal might have a nice week. We just don’t know how much Martell Webster will limit him, but it looks like Beal will actually be the one limiting Webster going forward. The Wiz have a great playoff schedule and I just traded DeMar DeRozan for Beal, and feel good about it based on the playoff games I gained in the deal.

We interrupt this trade deadline frenzy with Tuesday’s Daily Dose. There are nine games on the schedule tonight, but I’m going to go team-by-team notes to cover all the injuries and rumors heading into Week 17. The deadline is Thursday night, so this is going to be a busy week for the Rotoworld crew.

If you’re in a league where games played per week matter, make sure you check out Waiver Wired if you missed it. And we’ve got a ton of trade deadline columns currently posted, like this one, so check them out as well. And follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Atlanta – Josh Smith is rumored to be heading to about half the teams in the league, and while there’s still a chance he’s on the Hawks come Friday morning, the Bucks and Celtics seem like logical landing spots for him. Starting Smith for three games this week will be an interesting endeavor, as a trade could cause him to miss a game or two. They host the Heat on Wednesday, the Kings on Friday and visit the Bucks on Saturday, and as of now, I’m planning on starting him, out of necessity. Outside of the Smoove trade drama, the most interesting thing to watch for on Wednesday is whether Kyle Korver comes off the bench again, or moves back into the starting lineup.

Boston – The Celtics signed Terrence Williams to a 10-day contract, and while the kid appears to have all the skills in the world, he’s yet to breakout for any team he’s played for. Just watch for his name in blurbs once the Celtics get going this week. Kevin Garnett says he won’t accept a trade to any team, but the Clippers seem to think they could change his mind. Paul Pierce has been playing with a pinched nerve in his neck, but should be good to go for four games this week. I also like starting Jeff Green this week, but using any Celtic guard is akin to playing with fire.

Brooklyn – My wife informed me, after watching TMZ Monday that Kris Humphries was being traded to the Bobcats. That rumor has been out there for weeks and Harvey Levin doesn’t know squat about sports, so he probably just heard some chatter about it on the radio, as I seriously doubt he reads Rotoworld. In any case, Humps could be moved prior to the deadline and Charlotte does seem like a logical landing spot. Gerald Wallace has been coming on and I’m hoping he keeps it going this week, while owners of Deron Williams (ankle) are hoping he plays on Tuesday against the Bucks. My guess is he’ll play in that one.

Charlotte – Byron Mullens is hot and Ben Gordon is begging to be traded out of Charlotte. They play four times this week and Mullens, along with Kemba Walker, look like must-starts in fantasy. Just beware that a Humphries trade to Charlotte could be bad news for Mullens. Gerald Henderson also looks like a strong play.

Dallas – Chris Kaman is nearing a return but should be super rusty after a 20-plus day absence with a concussion, while O.J. Mayo is dealing with a sprained ankle suffered in Monday’s practice. Mayo should be good to go, along with the rest of the regulars in Dallas, but owners of Darren Collison have to be prepared for bad news in case the Mavs land another point guard at the deadline.

Denver – Danilo Gallinari (sinus infection) and Andre Iguodala (neck) are expected back on Tuesday after missing their last game. The Nuggets go three times this week, but Gallo, Iguodala and Ty Lawson are must-starts in most leagues, while Kenneth Faried is close to it.

Houston – James Harden played in the ASG and his ankle should be OK, so I’d play him this week, even with just three games. Jeremy Lin is dealing with a hand injury, but I expect him to play, as well. Watch for updates.

Indiana – Danny Granger is iffy for Wednesday and I’d leave him benched until you not only see him make it through a game, but also put up some decent numbers. Paul George is a must-start, but the rest of the Pacers are up to your discretion with three games. Especially David West, who missed his last game with an eye injury.

L.A. Clippers – Chris Paul was the All-Star MVP and is good to go, except that the Clippers play just two games this week. Blake Griffin is the only other Clipper I’d consider starting if games played matter in your league. Everyone is healthy, except for Lamar Odom, who has an eye injury.

Milwaukee – The Bucks have just three games but I’d still plan on rolling with Brandon Jennings (serious trade candidate), Monta Ellis and Ersan Ilyasova in most leagues. Larry Sanders says he’s 70-30 towards playing through his back injury, but Samuel Dalembert will likely continue to see solid minutes. Start Larry at your own risk, as he’s a true game-time decision for Tuesday.

Minnesota – Kevin Love is hoping to return from his hand injury in mid-March, but is still iffy to play again this season. Ricky Rubio is hot, trade candidate Luke Ridnour is playing well, and Derrick Williams a shaky start with just three games, although he blew up just before the break. Andrei Kirilenko is dealing with a quad injury and has missed five straight games, so in my mind he’s not startable in weekly leagues unless we get a positive update prior to lineup deadlines. Nikola Pekovic is a must-start player in my book.

New York – The Knicks have three games, but are preparing to go on a four-game per week sprint soon. Carmelo Anthony is a must-start player, while Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Amare Stoudemire and J.R. Smith all look like possible options this week. Melo is dealing with an arm injury, but made it through the ASG in one piece. Jason Kidd could be coming off the bench soon, and was already struggling.

Utah – The Jazz play just two games and I’m sitting Al Jefferson in weekly leagues. In fact, I don’t see anyone on this team I’d start in a weekly league. Gordon Hayward is still bothered by a shoulder injury, but is expected to play on Tuesday, although I expect him to be rusty and limited.

Washington – John Wall, Nene and Emeka Okafor are solid three-game options, while Bradley Beal might have a nice week. We just don’t know how much Martell Webster will limit him, but it looks like Beal will actually be the one limiting Webster going forward. The Wiz have a great playoff schedule and I just traded DeMar DeRozan for Beal, and feel good about it based on the playoff games I gained in the deal.

Steve "Dr. A" Alexander is the senior editor for the NBA for Rotoworld.com and a contributor to NBCSports.com. The 2014-15 NBA season marks his 13th year of covering fantasy hoops for Rotoworld. Follow him on Twitter - @Docktora.Email :Steve Alexander